FARMING SIMULATOR 17 – IMPROVED DEDICATED SERVERS AND APP

Hey there farmers!
We’ve been publishing a series of dev blogs to give you an insight into the exciting new features coming to Farming Simulator 17, which releases next week on October 25th! For this final post, we’re taking a look at the dedicated server features for PC that you can look forward to.
Dedicated Server Improvements
Many PC and Mac players already use dedicated servers for playing Farming Simulator online, with up to 16 players able to farm together simultaneously.

It’s something very popular within our community, so we’ve worked hard to bring improved dedicated server support to FS17! The dedicated server UI has a new look, which you can get a sneak peek of in the screenshot below:
We’ve also added a Resource Monitor, which lets you quickly view info such as:

Other additions and improvements include:
Support for HTTPS/TLS/SSL when logging into the web interface, allowing for greater security.
Mod Meta Cache, meaning the site loads faster than before when looking at installed and active mods.
Support for ZIP files larger than 2GB. When a player does not have all the mods needed to access the save game of the server, they can download all necessary mods at once in one big ZIP file. Previously, this only worked if all mods together didn’t exceed more than 2GB. Now it works with larger ZIP files, too.

Dedicated Server App
For the launch of FS17, a mobile app for Farming Simulator dedicated servers will be made available for iOS and Android devices.

You can use the app to keep track of your servers’ performance and activity. It also allows you to stay connected and chat with other players from your favourite servers. The app will be free of charge.
Adding servers – Each server will have a unique 8-digit dedicated mobile app Pin Code. Give this Pin Code to friends you want to invite, and they can add the server to the app with it.
Server Info – You can have a look at server info like hard drive usage, players connected, RAM usage, installed mods and more. You can also have a look at the map of the active savegame and see where all the vehicles and tools are in the world and how much money your farmers have.
Chat & Friends – Each server has its own chatroom within the app. You can chat with everyone who used the Pin Code and added the server. With push notifications you will also never miss anything of the conversation. It can be used as a way to stay in touch with each other via your mobile device, without sharing private data like phone numbers or social media accounts. With the integrated friends list it is possible to keep track of who is currently online. Note that this chat functionality only allows chat for app users (not between app users and those in-game).
Community management – Server admins can delete people from chat/the app if needed.

Events
Create events in a shared calendar and invite friends to them! You can use it to remind people about organised sessions, arrange casual gaming, or even plan out who should work on which field when.
Push notifications ensure no-one has an excuse for missing an invite or event!
Dedicated Server Deployment
A Farming Simulator 17 dedicated server can be deployed on your own Windows Server hardware. (Please consult the PDF document dedicatedServer_EN.pdf enclosed in the game for further information about the detailed hardware and software requirements). Alternatively pre-installed servers can be rented at the following GSPs (Game Server Provider)
Thanks for reading the final entry in our series of Farming Simulator 17 dev blogs – make sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below! We hope you’re looking forward to the game’s release as much as we are.

Get ready for next week! Farming Simulator 17 will be available on October 25th for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.